Why is Tonight Different - Thoughts on Passover

Shalom my friends and Happy Passover! This Jewish holiday is a holiday my family chose to celebrate years ago and has become one of my favorite holidays.
    There is a depth about it, the ceremony and the meaning that is so very beautiful.
    As a Christian, I think there is great value for celebrating Passover. Not only did Jesus celebrate it just before He went to the cross, but all of the ancient traditions and symbolism finds completion in the fulfilled prophecy of Jesus.

What do I mean? Well during Passover we celebrate the Israelites exodus from Egypt, an escape from tyranny and slavery. Each element of the meal represents a part of that, but there are also elements that to those who do not believe in Jesus as the messiah, are a bit mystical and strange.
    Take matzah for example (the flat, cracker like bread eaten at Passover), it is covered with small incisions all over the surface, as well as dark spots from the baking. During the Seder (the main meal of Passover) the person leading the meal has three pieces of matzah, the piece in the middle is broken, wrapped in cloth and hidden (this is called the Afikoman). Later on in the meal there is a hunt for this hidden piece of matzah. This symbolism is traditional, but gains deep meaning looking through the lens of Jesus. 
    Jesus’s body was broken, cut and bruised before his crucifixion, just like the surface of the matzah.
The three pieces of matzah used by the leader also represent the trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 At the Last Supper Jesus broke a piece of bread, the afikoman, and passed it around to his disciples, he said “This is my body which is given for you, do this in remembrance of me.” (Luke 22: 19b). Jesus is taking a part of this traditional meal and saying that when you eat the matzah at Passover, you are remembering him.

As most of us know, next he took another cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people - an agreement confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrfice for you.” 
At Passover it is a tradition to set up a place at the table for Elijah, for, as the disciples say in Matthew 17:10 - “Why do the teachers of religious law insist that Elijah must return before the Messiah comes?” The place is set at the table, in case Elijah shows up, announcing the messiah’s coming. 
It is believed that the cup Jesus had his disciples drink from was the cup set for Elijah. A cup that was never drank from. He was making a bold statement - Elijah has already come. 
As Jesus says in response to the disciples question, “But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but he wasn’t recognized, and they chose to abuse him. And in the same way they will also make the son of Man suffer.” (Matthew 17:12). By sharing this Passover cup with his followers, he was further declaring that he was the one the whole nation of Israel had been waiting for.
When we celebrate Passover, we are partaking in communion and remembering the sacrifice Jesus made, as well as observing the parallels between the Israelites escape from Egypt and our escape from sin thanks to Jesus’s resurrection.
The Passover story talks about when the Israelites had to escape from Egypt. Each family slaughtered an unblemished lamb and put the blood on the door of their house. The families who did this would be able to save the life of their first born child when the death angel passed over. Throughout the New Testament we hear Jesus refer to himself as the lamb. He was unblemished and never sinful, yet he died so that the eternal death that was sentenced to each of us would pass over. Jesus is that unblemished lamb.

credit - phil goodwin on unsplash

Passover also has other elements that are beautiful, the youngest child asks, “Why is tonight different from all other nights.” The answers revolve around the meal and the seating situation, but when we think about that question we can ask why the night Jesus was betrayed was different from all other nights.
It was different because it was fulfilling prophecy and promises. It was a big leap, a step closer, for man to be right with God. 
It is a night we remember deliverance and freedom. 
Tonight is different from all other nights because we celebrate redemption in the fullest and most complete way - through Jesus Christ.
Passover is a beautiful celebration leading up to Easter and I hope you and your loved ones can get an opportunity to observe it, even if it’s just taking communion. If you are interested in celebrating, but don’t know where to start, my Dad’s book A Christian's Guide to Passover: A Sedar Haggadah for Followers of Christ is a great step by step guide to the evening.

​Shalom Shalom and Happy Pesach!